While war sometimes inspires deep theological reflection, it can also lead to conclusions that are shallow, nationalistic, and propagandistic in nature, with the Civil War producing abundant examples of the latter. Ministers on both sides of the conflict generally assumed that God was on their side and his purposes easily discerned. There are, however, notable exceptions, such as none other than Abraham Lincoln himself.
In his Second Inaugural Address, President Lincoln surmised that the Civil War was God’s judgment on both the North and the South for slavery. While the Union and the Confederacy had their aims in the war, Lincoln concluded, “The Almighty has His own purposes.” The enslaved blacksmith turned renowned Presbyterian minister James W.C. Pennington (1807-1870) expressed a similarly profound view. As a Presbyterian, Pennington’s doctrine of providence emphasized God’s absolute sovereignty and transcendence, but also his immanence amid suffering. He acknowledged God’s use of secondary means, offering an inbuilt pushback against passivity. Like many other African Americans, he supported the Union while also pushing its leaders to prioritize emancipation as the chief goal of the war.
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